Slideable closure for dispensing tubes



Sept. 9, 1958 A. w. SCHWAB SLIDEABLE CLOSURE FOR DISPENSING TUBES Filed Jan. 3, 1955 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent C SLIDEABLE CLOSURE FOR DISPENSING TUBES Allen W. Schwab, Glenview, Ill.

Application January 3, 1955, Serial No. 479,407

7 Claims. (Cl. 222-545) This invention relates to an improvement in slideable closures for dispensing tubes, and particularly tubes used for the dispensing of toothpaste, shaving cream, hair cream, and various food stuffs.

Considerable inconvenience has been caused by the removable screw caps customarily used to seal dispensing tubes, especially where the tubes are of such a nature as to find daily use, as for example, toothpaste and shaving cream tubes. Since removable caps for such tubes are generally of small size, they are diflicult to handle and may be easily dropped or misplaced. Although a number of closures have been proposed which are designed to remain on a tube and form a single unit therewith, none has sufliciently fulfilled the requirements for a successfully commercial article, either because of the complex nature of their construction, the failure to form a sufficiently airtight seal when closed, or the difficulty of operation owing partly to their reduced size and the likelihood of clogging by pasty materials contained within the tubes.

One of the main objects of this invention is to provide a closure for dispensing tubes which renders unnecessary the removal and replacement of a screw cap in order to remove the tubes contents, and which is easily and effectively operated. Another object is to provide a cap for a dispensing tube having a slideable member which looks in closed position to effectively seal the tubes contents from outside air. An additional object of this invention is to provide a plastic screw cap for a collapsible tube which may remain in attached position until the tube is completely exhausted and which has an easily manipulated closure member disposed to be operated by the same hand used for squeezing the tube. A still further object is to provide a relatively large cap for a dispensing tube which has a base diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the tube and which has a slideable member which may be easily moved to closed or open position without jamming or clogging.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a collapsible tube equipped with the cap and slideable closure member;

Fig. 2 is a broken sectional view taken along lines 22 of Fig. l and illustrating the slideable member in open position;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but shows the slideable member in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a broken rear elevatiompartly in section showing the cap and slideable closure; and

Fig. 5 shows the cap, closure member, and curved top, respectively, in exploded perspective View.

My improved closure may be made as part of a dispensing tube, or as a separate unit which may be screwthreaded to a tube. Rounded cap shown in operative position in Fig. 1 and separately in Fig. 5, has a generally semi-spherical configuration and may be formed from plastic or any other suitable material. As shown in the drawings, the base of cap 10 is provided with a threaded opening 11 for mounting the cap upon the threaded neck 12 of a tube 23, such as a toothpaste or shaving cream tube. A passage 13 passes axially through cap 10 and communicates .with threaded opening 11. Therefore, passage 13 communicates directly with the interior of the tube upon which cap 10 is fitted.

Cap 10 is equipped on its upper surface with an elongated top member 14, which is mounted so that a circular opening 15 in member 14 is in register with the opening defined by passage 13 in cap 10. Top member 14 may likewise be made of a plastic material and heat sealed to cap 10 along ridges 16, or may be attached in any suitable manner, depending upon the particular materials used in fabricating the respective parts.

The diameter of opening 15 in member 14 is larger than the diameter of the passage 13 provided in cap 10, so that the contents of the tube upon which cap 10 is threaded may be extruded through passage 13 without obstruction by the walls of opening 10.

Elongated top member 14 is curved both longitudinally and laterally, as may best seen in Fig. 5, so that the curvature of this member conforms with the surface curvature of rounded cap 10. Parallel ridges 16 project from the inner surface 17 of member 14 to provide a longitudinal groove 18 between the outer surface of cap Ill and the inner surface 17 when top member 14 is sealed in position. At both ends of member 14 lateral portions of ridges 16 project inwardly in a converging manner to form lips 19 and 29.

A flexible closure member 20, shown separately in Fig. 5, has atop portion 21 curved both laterally and longitudinally to conform with the corresponding curvatures of cap 10 and top member 14, and is adapted to slide longitudinally within the groove 17 defined by ridges 16, inner wall 17, and the surface of cap 10. Top portion 21 is also expanded laterally in relation to the remaining portion of member 20 to provide laterally projecting edges 22. The lower portion of closure member 20 is straight and has an outwardly extending flange or handle 24 at the lowermost portion thereof, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5.

When the cap 10, closure member 20, and top member 14 are assembled in operative relation, flexible closure member 20 is slideably mounted in groove or channel 17 between cap 10 and top member 14. When closure member 20 is moved downwardly into open position (Fig. 2), the contents of tube 23 may pass through open passage 13 and opening 18. Further downward movement of closure member 20 is prevented by the abutment of edges 22 of the slideable member against lips 19 of the top member 14. Upward pressure upon handle 24 slides closure member 20 into closed position (Fig. 3) against lips 29 thereby blocking passage 13 and sealing the contents of tube 23. Lips 29, which provide a stop for member 20 in closed position, also provide an outlet at the top portion of member 14 so that any excess of the pasty material squeezed from the tube will not clog or impair the operation of the closure but will be pushed out between lips 29 as member 20 is moved to closed position.

The top portion of flexible closure member 20 is preformed with a double curvature to conform with the rounded surface of cap 10 when member 20 is in closed position, as described above and illustrated in Fig. 5. It is evident therefore, that the configuration of member 20 adapts the flexible member to remain or lock in closed position, and to form a tight seal around the opening of passage 13. As member 20 is moved downwardly toward open position, the longitudinally curved portion extending below the lowermost portion of top member 14 must straighten, so that the exposed part of member 20 will extend downwardly alongside the outer surface of cap and tube 23. However, both the cap 10 and tube 23 have curved surfaces extending about their respective vertical axes. Therefore, the lateral curvature of member 23 remains even when a fully opened position is assumed, and provides longitudinalor vertical rigidity for member below the lowermost portion of top member 14.

The lower portion of member 20 extends downwardly along the side of tube 23 so that the tube may be squeezed and the slideable member 20 may be simultaneously moved to open position with one hand. The outwardly projecting flange or handle 24 is large enough for manipulation by the index finger of the same hand used for squeezing the lower portion of the tube. Ease of operation is further insured by the relatively large size of the respective parts, as indicated by Figs. 14, which show cap 10 having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the tube upon which the cap is threaded or formed.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth certain structures in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

l. A closure for dispensing tubes, comprising a generally semi-spherical cap adapted for mounting :upon a dispensing tube and having an axially disposed passage therethrough communicating with the interior of said tube, an elongated top member mounted upon the surface of said cap and having an opening therethrough communicating with the passage in said cap, said top member being provided with a groove disposed between said member and said cap, and an elongated flexible closure member having a top portion curved both laterally and longitudinally to conform with the surface of said semispherical cap, said closure member slideably mounted within said groove for opening and closing said passage.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which said closure member has a lower portion extending beyond said groove and equipped at the lowermost portion thereof with a of said closure member at open position.

4. The structure of claim 1, in which the opening in said top member is larger than the opening defined by the passage in said cap.

5. In a closure for dispensing tubes, a cap adapted for mounting upon a dispensing tube and having an axially disposed passage therethrough in communication with the interior of said tube, said cap being provided with a curved outer surface, a top member mounted upon the curved outer surface of said cap and having an opening therethrough in register with the passage through said cap, said cap and said-member having opposing surface por tions spaced apart to define an elongated channel therebetween, said channel being curved both longitudinally and laterally, and an elongated flexible closure member having a portion thereof slidable within said channel and being curved both laterally and longitudinally to conform with the curvatures of said channel.

6. The structure of claim 5 in which said closure member extends downwardly below said channel and alongside a dispensing tube upon which said cap is mounted and is provided at the lowermost portion thereof with a handle for sliding said member between open and closed positions.

7. The structure of claim 5 in which the opening in said top member is larger than the opening defined by the passage in said cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

